Shadows of Fire
by Project Shadow 001
Summary: As if her last adventure wasn't weird enough! Now Shadow finds herself right in the middle of the crossfire between a Demon-god of Mischief, the agency she works for and an alien race hell bent on revenge. Throw a creature whose life is as much of a mystery as her own into the mix, and you've got hell just waiting to bust loose. But beware, everything is not as it seems.
1. Chapter 1

The wailing of police sirens rang out into the night as four masked men hurriedly emptied a truck of it's cargo, loading it into the black van that stood a few feet away.

"Hurry up," one of them, possibly the leader, barked out before shoving a crate into the van, "Get the stuff off the truck and let's move!"

"What is all this?" Another asked with some confusion in his voice. He wasn't wearing a ski mask under the white mask like the others were, suggesting that he was in a much lower rank than the rest. He was wearing a hat though.

"Like I care. As long as that Metal head doesn't catch on, we'll be home free." The leader growled again before slamming the back of the van shut after the last crate was loaded.

Some what as if on cue, the parted so that the light of the moon could shine down on the scene that was about to play itself out below. The black shadow of a hunched down creature made itself known as the leader finally looked up.

Before anyone could react, the creature rammed it's claws into the ground so that the men were separated. Two were close to the van while the other two, this including the leader, were face to face with the black beast. It's head rose for twin piercing eyes to lock on it's frightened prey before a loud roar disturbed the silence of the night.

**Worlds Collide**

The light of the moon reflected off my inky black scales as my tail lashed behind me, the grappling-hook at the end of it opening up as a spark of energy ran through it. Soft chirps escaped my throat as the clock ticked for the opportunity to make my move.

Experience in the field told me to wait for the right moment before lashing out with all the force I could carry... and that moment, was now!

The click of a handgun made my head cock, snout first, upwards before multiple bullets pelted the ground where I stood. I, on the other hand, disappeared into thin air so that the two grunts in front of me had to duck and take cover to not get hit by stray bullets flying around.

I executed my next move, appearing next to the grunt who decided to be stupid and open fire before metallic silver claws dug through his glove and into bare skin.

"Graaah!" He snarled in pain, dropping his weapon before being yanked from his feet and thrown into his comrade. A gunshot suddenly caught my attention before a searing pain in my shoulder made an angered hiss escape my throat, locking my grip around the origin of the burn.

It felt like my blood began to boil as my furious glare locked onto the leader of the group, handgun armed and ready for the next shot, the final one by his standards.

"See yah, Scale bag!" He growled as his finger menacingly curled around the trigger.

"Not today!" Somebody suddenly said behind him before he was rammed with the full force of an adult human, gun spinning from his hand as he hit the floor. He snarled in pain filled anger as the same person rammed his foot on to his wrist, deliberately doing it heel first.

"Grr Argh! ...Why you... !?"

"I was never on your side in the first place anyway." His comrade said, having promptly switched sides, taking his hat and mask off to reveal the usual smartass smirk that I knew too well.

"You're a little late." I growled through grit teeth, digging the bullet out of my shoulder before tossing it aside and letting a small streak of blood seep from the wound.

"Ey! I can't react any faster then you can so don't complain," Arthur responded in mock annoyance before his gaze hit something behind me. "Problem..."

My head snapped round to catch a glimpse of the last thug disappearing into a side alley while his friend was unconscious and his leader was about to get his head kicked in. I made sure that Arthur had things covered before dissolving into energy, revving a sharp turn before ricocheting from one wall to the next in pursuit.

He turned another corner before a sharp yell of disbelief, fear and confusion combined made my speed pick up. I quickly turned the corner before rematerializing, lower-jaw hanging open at what I saw.

The thug was with his back against the ground as he backed up, the barrel of a Maggia caliber handgun being pointed right at him by some... thing.

I had no idea what it was or if it's body was covered in fur, scales, a leathery skin or all three and it's pure black body against the shadows didn't help much. The only thing that gave it's presence away were it's blank, bone white eyes and the fact that the moon reflected off the claws tipping it's hands and feet.

I'm pretty sure that it's claws resembled fingers as one was curled tightly around the trigger of the gun, ready to pull it and finish the job. It's target, however, was trembling with fear as his eyes were locked on the barrel of the gun from behind his mask.

"No!" I suddenly exclaimed as the creature's grip around the trigger tightened and the damn thing went off. It was at that second that I dissolved into energy and rammed it with as much force as I could carry, both of us colliding with the ground so hard that it felt like my skull cracked.

Even with the impact of it's body colliding with the ground the creature didn't seem as dazed as I was. It's surprising strength allowed it to force itself onto one hand, leaning with the full weight of it's body on it before flipping up and spinning in the air, landing on all fours once again.

It took me a little while longer because of how badly my head was spinning but I was able to get up into a hunched over position. My head cocked to the side so that our gazes were locked, my Neon blue eyes that were hazed over with confusion with his blank, white and emotionless ones.

I had no idea what this thing was going to do next but the fact that he seemed so animalistic couldn't mean anything good. Our eyes were locked for what felt like a minute before the thing suddenly bolted down the length of the alleyway, disappearing into the shadows.

I shook my head roughly to recover from the shock before shakily getting to my feet. It was bipedal and had animalistic traits but, strangely, it didn't act like a wild beast at all. I didn't notice a mouth but I did notice weird extensions on it's back that suggested some type of enhancement or decoration.

The clacking of soles right next to me interrupted my thoughts as my head cocked to the side to see the Maggia thug, who was probably unconscious for most of my short scuffle with the creature, stand up. My eyes narrowed as his entire body stiffened and his gaze shifted to me.

My claws clenched into fists before my one arm pulled back and landed a perfect score right at the center of his jaw-bone, making him sink to the floor like a punching bag after Steve Rogers was done with it.

"Hmph... son of a gun."

Arthur and I were standing on the roof of a building an hour later, subtle smirks across each of our faces as we observed what was going on below. The three men whose buts we kicked earlier were being led away by the police, probably to be put away for a very long time.

"Yeah, best bust of the night baby!" Arthur exclaimed as our palms collided in a high five, black scales with pale skin.

"You can say that again." I agreed with him, the subtle smirk having spread into a grin as my tail whipped from side to side like a dog's. Silence reigned between us, having not much else to say, as I leaned against the ledge of the roof.

I always loved to be out on nights like these. A blanket of stars against the midnight sky, with either the full moon shining down on the city or no moon at all.

"Hey, I forgot to ask," Arthur suddenly remembered, ruffling his thick orange hair to get it into better shape, seeing that the stupid hat he had to wear pushed it flat. "You didn't happen to see a gun lying around anywhere, right?"

A short abrupt "huh?" escaped my snout as I glanced down at the alley below in disbelief. Could it have been the leader's gun that creature held in it's claws?

If it was, how did it get the thing without Arthur or myself noticing it? It can't be that fast, can it?

"Shadow?"

"Hn? Uh no, not really," I quickly lied to avoid explaining my confrontation with that black creature before standing up straight again and stretching with a yawn. "Guess that's enough for tonight. It's getting late anyway... and don't you have a conference with Tony tomorrow?"

Arthur only groaned before facepalming, "I'm going to kill myself if I have to sit through another of those things."

I only laughed at his annoyance before giving him a daughterly kiss on the cheek as a goodbye and taking off into the heavens above.

One crazy night was behind my back and some sleep was going to do me some type of good.

Even though, I had no idea what was waiting for me back at my apartment...


	2. Chapter 2

**Dreams of Darkness**

_(Dream begins)_

"The Tesseract has reawakened. After so many years." An eery and seriously creepy voice rang in my ears as I watched the Tesseract, the cube that is now my energy core, spin slowly in the pure black space.

That scene quickly turned into a blanket of stars, chunks of space rock being the only things disturbing the landscape every now and then. That is, until I noticed the flight of stairs leading up to a good sized platform with protruding points of rock surrounding it.

"It is on a little world, a human world. One of them has been chosen to wield its power." The exact same voice rang out again, almost making my spine freeze completely upon realizing who he was talking about.

"Our ally is ready to leave. He has accepted the task and will succeed... or, that girl will not be the only one who burns!"

_(Dream ends)_

My eyes snapped open for me to find myself back in my bedroom, safe and sound in my apartment on the NorthWest-side of New York, staring up at the ceiling as my black and orange hair was soaked through with sweat. I finally let the groan that was stuck in my throat escape, along with an annoyed huff before closing my eyes again.

My brow furrowed as the events of my most recent dream flashed through my mind. These dreams, better described as nightmares, have been plaguing me since the five years after the New York Incident. That day I can never forget. No matter what I do.

An incessant ringing suddenly filled my ears, coming from right next to me on the bedside table. I wasn't in the mood for going through the possibilities of what it was and, thinking it was my alarm clock, my hand shot out in a clenched fist. It probably came an inch from the piece of junk before my eyes snapped open for the second time that night.

The damn phone!

Who sets their clock for this time of the night you idiot!?

My hand relaxed as it hit the phone with a clack, picking the thing up and bringing it a few inches from my face for me to see who it was.

"Great..." I muttered under my breath before flipping it open and holding it next to my ear, "What!?"

"Someone's in a good mood." Clint Barton or as I know him, Hawkeye, said on the other side of the reception with the usual spark of sarcasm.

"Shut it Hawkboy!" I growled from my end of the phone before tossing the phone to my other hand, putting it on loud speaker before cocking my head to the clock, "It's 3:30 in the morning and I came back from a Maggia bust about an hour ago. Next time, get your story straight before calling me again."

He'd better be lucky he got another word in before I almost disconnected, "There's a situation at the docks and Fury wants you to check it out... but you'd better get there fast before the entire place is torn apart."

I only let out a sigh before ending the call, pulling the sheets off and getting out of bed before clasping Fix's ring around my wrist.

"Ready Fix?" I chirped softly as black scales already began to replace the pale skin of my arms.

"Always." He responded shortly.

The green gem enfolded in a gold ring, the Makluan ring of energy, began to glow softly as I approached the window, fully transformed with only my wings that have to unfold. That glow soon brightened to dim a few seconds later.

My entire body was covered in an all black, skintight suit; closely resembling a S.H.I.E.L.D uniform with a belt and the works. It wasn't much but the invisibleshield of energy around me more than made up for it.

I carefully opened the window before crawling out and onto the small ledge that was under it. It wasn't that wide, wide enough for a fully grown man to stand on or, in this case, a humanoid dragon like myself.

A subtle smirk crossed my snout before I jumped off, letting my wings unfold before I ascended at lightning speed, flapping them to the beat of my pulsing core. Docks of New York, here I come!

...

Hawkeye wasn't kidding! This place looks like a warzone!

Fires crackled loudly as their bright flames ascended to the sky, turning to cinders as they went. Chunks of debris laid scattered everywhere but what made my stomach turn the most, and nothing really does, were the bodies of dead Maggia henchmen.

Most of them had deep cuts in their chests while others seemed to have been stabbed right through. Others had, daggers from what I could see, sticking out of their necks.

"Bloody hell!" I cursed under my breath.

"I said KNEEL!"

My head snapped round upon hearing a booming voice to my right. I had a bad feeling that I was about to meet whoever caused this destruction and massacre face to face but, even though I hated the Maggia with most of my heart, I was going to make damn sure that he pays.

"Grah!" I suddenly yelped as a Maggia henchman was thrown into me and both of us collided with the floor. An angered hiss was about to escape my throat when I suddenly felt something warm and sticky leaking on to my chest, coming from the man who was laying on top of me.

My eyes suddenly widened in realization as I pushed him off.

I was right, he was stabbed right through the chest like some of the others I've seen and my chest-scales were now covered in his crimson blood.

"Alright! Let's get this over with so I can go back to sleep!" I snarled, pulling my arm back as the ring in my palm began to glow. A bright beam of neon energy shot from it when I forced it out in front of me again. An explosion was the only thing that followed, so I wasn't sure if I struck whoever threw this guy or merely warned him that I was there.

Another blast of energy pretty much answered my question as I instinctively held my arms crossed in front of my face for defense. The shield that my ring provided gave me enough protection but the force of the impact was enough to make me skid back by a few feet, claws digging into the concrete to get my leverage back.

"A dragon? Seems that this planet has more to offer than I first thought."

That voice? Where the hell have I heard that voice before?

It sounded British in accent and he was pretty dignified with his choice of words, but I want to see how long he can keep it up after he sees what I can do.

"If you say so." I growled under my breath as I felt it heat up and my flames began to charge with the power of the Tesseract.

A bright stream of neon flames followed after, setting ablaze anything it could touch with it's scorching grasp. I didn't hear any yells or screams of pain so my effort was in vain none the less. His energy signature was also continuously shifting, so much so that it was impossible for me to figure out where he was.

That is, until I caught a glimpse of a blue glow out of the corner of my eye before I was slammed into the ground by the same blast as before.

"Graaah..." I groaned as I rolled onto my side to see if I can't manage to make out who attacked me. Although, I wasn't exactly relieved when I finally saw the guy.

He was a tall but pretty thin male with slicked back black hair and green eyes that were only a shade or two darker than mine. His clothes mostly consisted of black or dark green with bits of gold armor here and there but the most prominent piece was the helmet. It was also gold but two large horns stuck out of the front before curving back.

"Rrr, who are you!?..." I mustered up enough courage to snap at him as my eyes narrowed. "And what makes you think these guys are going to kneel to you!?"

His mouth only curved up in to a grin like I've never seen before he spoke.

"I do not think I am entitled to answer to a creature like you." He said in a sly tone as the tip of the gold staff he was holding was tilted down towards my chest.

The Tesseract began to pulsate with energy as he did so, making my eyes widen in disbelief.

His staff had some connection to the cube, I could feel it. The glowing orb at the tip had the same energy signature and it was at the same strength, even though one was more compressed into a controllable source.

"I'll take that as an insult!" I growled before holding my hand, palm out at him and a repulsor blast of energy fired from it.

It narrowly missed him as he staggered back, giving me time to get back to my feet but I didn't have much time to recover before his next attack. The bladed tip of his staff came very close to grazing my cheek before I lashed out at him with my metallic claws.

This joker's fast, I'll give him that. He dodged every slice of my claws before swinging his staff and giving me only a split-second to dodge.

I screeched angrily as the bladed tip sliced through my suit and into scaled skin, at the exact spot where a bullet embedded itself earlier. This made my blood begin to boil before a blazing sphere of blue fire shot from my mouth. He was able to dodge this too but only just barely as it scorched his armor before hitting the wall behind him.

"I must admit... you are a powerful nuisance to deal with," He growled at me before firing another blast from his staff.

I luckily dissolved into energy before rematerializing behind him so that we were standing back to back. He suddenly spun round though, letting his staff leave a nasty gash wound on my back before swinging it on to his shoulders with the recoil and firing another blast from it. I collided with the wall so hard that it felt like something cracked before I sunk to the floor.

"Or not."

My head was spinning so badly that it felt like I was about to get sick which means that I didn't look up when he pointed the staff at me for the final blow. A sudden pained yelp made me finally look up as the man staggered back with five large laceration marks cut in to his armor.

It looked like some kind of Lion or a Bear could've done it but the creature that suddenly made it's presence in front of me made my eyes widen.

"Again? ...You are becoming an obnoxious little hero." I heard the man growl. The black creature's soulless blank eyes only narrowed before something extended from it's clawed hand but my vision was too blurry to see what it was.

My conscious must've left me after that because everything suddenly went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Not What You'd Expect**

Beep beep beep beep beep...

Clack..

CRASH!

I gave an annoyed groan before laying my arm over my face to shield my eyes from the sunlight that was coming through my window.

Last night could've gone A LOT better. I don't even want to think about how many Maggia Henchmen met such a gruesome fate. The scar on my back began to throb with pain as I remembered the one who was thrown into me.

Who was that guy? And more importantly, who the heck does he think he is!? Taking so many lives because they refused to bow to him... why I oughta...!

The slight weight on my side didn't even occur to me as I was too lost in my thoughts. A quick sigh escaped my throat as I dropped my hand back to my side but my body immediately stiffened when something soft and furry came into contact with my fingers.

I craned my neck just enough to see what it was and I felt my heart skip a beat.

Right there, a black shadow against the cream colored sheets, the creature I've met last night and who probably saved my life.

What the hell is it doing here, and more importantly, why DID it save me last night?

Wait a sec... how the hell did I get home last night?  
Everything was foggy. I only remember losing it and the next thing I know, I wake up with the morning sun in my eyes.

My head cocked to the side but I gave another annoyed groan when I remembered that my alarm clock was on the floor. My annoyance quickly turned to disbelief as my gaze caught something carved out on the bedside table.

"A-V-I-S-T-I-O-N," I read aloud, more to myself then the creature who was laying on my side. "Avistion?"

It was obvious that the creature, who I presumed was named Avistion, scratched it out as I noticed specks of dry blood in some of the letters. A sudden shift in weight distribution made my head cock back to the creature but I almost jumped out of my skin due to surprise when I saw that he was looking at me.

That moment seriously felt awkward.

I tried pushing myself up into a sitting position to lighten the tension but the throbbing pain in my back kept me from going too far. He obviously noticed this, shifting his weight a bit more to see if it won't be easier for me to move.

For a supposed wild animal, he was pretty docile... but his fighting style painted a different picture. Merciless, no holding back, and deadly if you rubbed him the wrong way.

I gave a weary sigh before swinging my legs out of bed and getting up, Avistion's emotionless gaze following me all the way to see what I was doing or going to do.

A quick shower got rid of the excess blood on my back before I could bandage it up and get my clothes. A white t-shirt, black vest, black trousers and white trainers. Yeah, black and white. Got a problem?

I slung my bag over my shoulder before heading for the front door, planning on getting a bagel or something on my way to Stark towers, but what was waiting for me at the door wrote dumbfounded all over my face.

"You want to come along, don't you?" I asked, seeing that Avistion was sitting at the door while his tail swung from side to side like an upright pendulum, it's pointed tip curling over every now and then.

He didn't respond but I took it as a yes.

"Okay, fine. But you'd better stay in the shadows if you don't want to attract attention."

The door clicked behind us before the clacking of my trainer soles rang out as I made my way down the hall. I glanced down next to me to see if Avistion was still following but I couldn't help but be alarmed when I saw that he wasn't there.

"What the...?"

I gave a sigh of relief when I noticed that a shadow close to me was acting weird. It wasn't stationary like the rest, swirling around my feet instead.

"Son of a gun!" I cursed under my breath before continuing at a more hurried pace.

...

Thank god, that the wound on my back was below my wings and not on top of them. I soared above the city at the speed of light, streaking through the sky like a shooting star.

Avistion was bloody fast, I can tell you that. He kept up with me without a hitch, even if he was moving from within his shadow.

It didn't take that long for us to get to Stark Towers as I landed on the balcony, changing back the second my feet touched the ground.

"J.A.R.V.I.S!?" I called out to Tony's artificially intelligent computer as I stepped inside the building, Avistion rising from his shadow as he followed next to me.

"Yes ma'am?"

I always loved his polite british accent and it completely drained out the thought of that other moron who kicked my tail last night.

"Is Tony or Arthur around? Something's come up and I think they'll be interested." I continued before coming to a halt in the middle of the large room.

"I'm afraid, you just missed them, Ma'am. Should I leave a message?"

I was about to open my mouth to say something but the words got stuck in my throat when my gaze came to a rest on Avistion. He was looking out over the city from the edge of the balcony, tail wagging lazily from side to side as his eyes were half closed.

"As a matter of fact," I continued, turning 180 degrees to face the camera in the ceiling. "Tell Tony to call me back when he gets the chance."

...

"See anything?"

Avistion's head snapped round when I spoke but he immediately looked back at the city after we locked eyes.

Yeah, "merciless, no holding back and deadly" my foot... but I guess he has to use those inch long claws for something.

A small, satisfied smile crept across my face before I spoke again.

"Let's go get something to eat. You oughta be starving and I haven't eaten breakfast yet."

Avistion looked back up at me, and even though his eyes were completely blank, something seemed to sparkle in them like sunlight reflecting off of ice. His head bobbed up and down in a calm nod as I couldn't help myself but giggle.

Honestly, he can be bloody cute when he wants to be. Well, in a cute puppydog kinda way of course.

...

In all honestly, I didn't realize how badly last night's scuffle wore me out.

My legs felt like bricks they were so heavy. Add the scar on my back and... what have you?

Avistion was resting in his shadow like this morning as he was just as tired. Look at how badly that guy messed me up so what could he have done to poor Avistion!

I rubbed my eyes a bit before rummaging through my sling bag and pulling out my sunglasses, letting them rest on the bridge of my nose close to my eyes. A heavy sigh escaped my throat as I leaned against a wall because of how tired I was. Avistion continuously swirled around my legs, making me give a "hmph" of amusement at how weird it looked.

It's not everyday a shadow creature ends up on your doorstep, am I right?

A blue glow out of the corner of my eye suddenly caught my attention, making my head cock upwards before I felt my heart drop like a stone.

"Oh god..." I cursed under my breath as Avistion also stopped at noticing my disbelief.

The glow came from a blue colored stone that rested in the tip of a gold cane. The owner of said cane was pretty thin with slicked back black hair, pale skin, some nice looking cheek bones though...

Wait what!?

He was wearing a nicely tailored black suit but what caught me were those green eyes, a few shades darker than mine with the ability to look into your soul if you allowed them to.

It was him! The guy who left this bloody mark on my back!

What's he doing here!? And more importantly, how can he walk around like a normal human?

He isn't human, that's the problem. Honestly, I don't know what he is.

An alarm going off in a nearby bank made my head cock in that direction immediately, giving a sigh of relief upon realizing that I can get rid of some of the stress. Both Avistion and I ducked into an alleyway as I transformed but Cameo grabbed my wrist before I could take off.

"Listen, kiddo," I assured him, hunching down so that we could be eye level. "Stay here and don't get in trouble, k?"

An unsure nod from him made a small smirk cross my snout before I stood up straight again and took off skyward, getting ready to meet those bankrobbers head on.

And, as luck would have it, I've met these jokers before.

...

"Hehe, this'll be a sinch!" Unicorn exclaimed with a triumphant smirk, the bag of money slung over his shoulder and a pure diamond in his free grip.

"IF, that scale-bag doesn't catch on!" Killer Shrike reminded him, getting ready to take off with his bag of money.

"Yeah, IF!" A loud screech rang out before I slammed my fist into the tar a few feet in front of them, getting up from my hunched down position before slamming my clenched fist against my palm. "And I'm still not happy with the nickname "Scale-bag"."

"Great." Killer Shrike growled but, as usual, Unicorn was the first of the two idiots to attack.

A bright beam of energy shot from his "horn" but I dissolved into energy to dodge before slamming him into the wall so hard that something should've cracked. Killer Shrike didn't really let me wait for him as he shot blasts of energy at me.

I backed off to dodge again before dissolving again and reappearing right behind him. My fists came down on his skull simultaneously, ramming him into the tar below.

They were both bloody strong but, if I do say so myself, I'm stronger.

I took the minute I had to glance in the direction of the man who I caught sight of earlier.

An obnoxious grin was written over his face, both making my blood boil and my cheek scales flare a rosey red. How the hell can a bad guy be so bloody dangerous and handsome at the same time?

That minute unfortunately gave Killer Shrike the opportunity to catch me with my guard down, ramming me so hard that my balance began to spin and I hit the floor.

"Grah!" I snarled as the throbbing pain struck the scar on my back.

"Your kidding? It's going to be THIS easy?" Unicorn mocked as I snarled at him in pure rage. I was ready to tear him apart and that was going to happen in the next few seconds.

"Come on," Shrike warned as the wailing of police sirens echoed in my ears. They were already ringing from the impact so it didn't help at all.

"Let's get a move on before those cops show up. We can mess with this kid later."

A dark green energy chain suddenly twisted around Shrike's wrist before he could take off, making him growl angrily as it began to dig into his skin due to how tight it was. Before any of us knew what to make of it, he was hard handedly yanked from the air and came to an abrupt landing in front of someone's sharp silver claws.

There's only one person I know with claws like that and, trust me, you DO NOT want to rub him the wrong way.

Unicorn didn't take the assault lightly as another beam fired from his horn.

Avistion was so fast that I didn't even see him move, disappearing into a black blur before coming to a halt behind the one horned freak.

He's a freak so what does that say about me?

One-horn didn't have that much time to react as Avistion locked his grip around the man's wrist, claws digging through his exoskeleton and into his skin, before spinning him once and throwing him. That chain must be his favourite as it extended from his claws again, winding around Unicorn's waist before he was flung into a wall.

How much does that guy weigh with that exoskeleton? If he's heavy than Avistion must be bloody strong.

"Freeze!"

Both our heads snapped round to see a police officer, who must've arrived in the middle of this mess, pointing his pistol at none other than the Shadow creature who had his back to him.

"Turn around slowly and put your hands behind your head."

Avistion only looked over his shoulder at him without budging an inch. I took this time get back to my feet but it went slowly thanks to the pain in my back. Green eyes was gone, I didn't see any sign of him in the crowd that has gathered.

A glance back at Avistion wrote dumbfounded across my face for the second time that day as the claws that he had kept hidden begin to glow an icy blue color.

"I said, turn around slowly and put your hands behind your head... now!"

Everything went so fast that if you blink you'd miss it.

Avistion suddenly spun round before an icy blue sphere collided with the bullet the officer fired, exploding into a crystal of ice that encased both the officer and the bullet itself. My eyes were wide with disbelief but large black wings suddenly erupted from Avistion's back, and trust me, they weren't there the last time I checked.

He was up in the air a wing flap later, hovering in the air while his wings moved to the beat of his racing heart. I surveyed the area around us one last time before stretching out my own wings and taking off after him.

Okay, life definitely just got a whole lot weirder.


	4. Chapter 4

**Demon-god vs. ****Cosmic**** Dragon**

I gave Avistion a puzzled look from where we stood atop a building roof before shifting my gaze back to the street below.

The police officers were just as dumbfounded as I was. One rubbed the back of his head in confusion while looking at his colleague; who was frozen solid, bullet and all; before saying something to the one next to him. It took about five officers total to carry the block of ice to a waiting police van, followed by a handcuffed Unicorn and Killer Shrike.

Only when they left did I look back at Shadow creature. He just sat there on the edge of the roof, eyes away from me while twiddling his clawed thumbs. It was obvious he knew that I was mad at him for doing something so stupid but that anger didn't last long.

He's a semi-wild animal, just like your's truly. I may try to escape my instincts but "Fight or Flight" plays a factor no matter how hard I try. Avistion knows his own strength; that I'd imagine; so I can guess he was just trying to avoid a fight.

"Hey," I said with a few soft chirps, sitting down next to him while holding my knee to my chest and resting my head on it. The Shadow creature didn't respond, which was kinda what I expected.

"Listen, I know it wasn't your fault. That officer just startled you so you didn't have much of a choice but to go on "Fight or Flight" instincts."

Avistion only gave a soft groan from deep inside his throat but I wasn't expecting what came next.

"...You saw him."

_So you can talk!_ was the first thing to go through my head but I bit my lip instead before giving a reply.

"Excuse me?"

Again, no response. I blinked at least twice while trying to understand what he meant but then it hit me: Green eyes! Would Avistion know something about him? This is a better time as any to figure that out.

"I guess so. You know him?"

"...Not on friendly terms."

_Why does he always pause before he speaks?_ I thought to myself, head tilted sideways slightly as I looked at him but now wasn't the best time to worry about that.

"It's weird," I decided to continue, hoping to maybe start a conversation that can help us both. "He walks around like a normal human but in the meantime he wants everyone, you and me included, to bow to him as if he's a king."

"Hmph... that's Loki for ya."

"Wait, Loki!?" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet before facing Avistion. "As in, the Demon-god of Mischief Loki?"

A nod from Shadow creature made me groan in annoyance before shifting my gaze back to the New York skyline, resting a hand on my scaled hip.

The battle of New York was two years ago. The year after was when Fury requested further study of the cube for something important but he never told me what. It was in that year that Hammer decided to steal the cube and it became permanently bonded with my dragon side, letting me enter the final stage of evolution... ... ...the Cosmic stage.

"The same Loki who attacked New York two years back!?"

It was more a statement than a question but Avistion gave a bob of his head before looking down at the concrete under his claws. Was that sadness I saw in his eyes?

A breath of air filled my lungs before I breathed out again, "Sorry. I just... can't believe he's back."

Claws collided with concrete as Avistion stood up before coming to stand next to me. I flinched a bit when his scaled hand touched my shoulder, his word sounding like music to my ears.

"...Understood."

A small smile crept across my snout followed by a soft chuckle.

"Thanks." I muttered before turning 90 degrees to face him. "Let's head back home. Wanna fill me in on more on the way?"

Avistion's expression went from caring back to emotionless before letting his hand slip from my shoulder. I took it as a "no" but I didn't push him. It took a few wing flaps before we were back in the air and heading back to the North West side of the city and my apartment. Tony and the rest of the team will have to wait.

...

_(Dream begins)_

The cool Autumn breeze brushed against my scales, making them rattle as the skin underneath shivered.

_This is sooo not New York!_ I thought to myself from where my feet touched the concrete floor of the alleyway. The place seemed seriously creepy but it felt like a dayshavoo scenario. Then it hit me!

My head whipped from one side to the other but I couldn't find any trash cans, dumpsters or pieces of paper. I groaned in frustration before finally resting my scaley hand on a nearby wall. As I had hoped, it passed right through.

I was a ghost in this world... my dream world.

Scraping claws against the pavement under my feet drew my attention to what was in front of me when a black blur shot past me so quickly that I would've been on the floor if this was the real world. I spun round to try and come face to face with the creature but my jaw dropped completely instead.

"Avistion?"

The word practically rolled off my slimy tongue as I recognised the Inky black fur, silver claws and those unmissable blank eyes. Weird thing is, they weren't emotionless as usual, but wide and twitching with fear instead.

"Over here! This way!"

Fear became even more prominent in Avistion's eyes as he turned tail and took off again, leaving me to turn my head slightly to see where those voices came from.

A group of five, maybe six, geared up and heavily armed men came into view right as Shadow creature's tail disappeared around the corner. It was obvious they were looking for him as the head of the group barked an order before the rest of them followed, some passing right through me.

All of them turned the corner before pained yelps and calls rang out, one of the men sinking to the floor and right into view. I couldn't get a word or a sound out before running over to his side. He was was still breathing so something didn't kill him.

A glance into the alley gave me a good idea of what knocked him out.

Avistion leapt up onto a dumpster before facing the two men who were left of the group. His back was menacingly arched while his tail whipped from side to side angrily. The, what I thought was a mane of fur, at the back of his neck suddenly stood up and thickened into thick spikes. Both men backed up but the spikes shot out every which way possible; two of which embedding themselves in their necks and making them pass out, dropping their guns and sinking to the floor like their comrade earlier.

"Hmph..." I heard a huff from Avistion as he turned to jump back to the ground but a gunshot rang in my ears before an energy bullet narrowly whizzed past Shadow creature's ear, making him whip in surprise before shifting his gaze to the origin of the attack.

"I don't want to hurt you Cameo!"

I didn't need to look up when a navy furred figure dropped down from the roof, right in front of Shadow creature. He didn't seem human at all, sharp spikes sticking out of the back of his head while tufts of fur covered his pointed ears. How he could move so swiftly, I have no idea because of the gear he was wearing. It had to be heavy.

Avistion's eyes only narrowed before he leapt off the dumpster and ran off. The Hedge Lynx; taking a guess don't ask; fired two more energy bullets from his pistol before running off in pursuit. Worrying about Avistion, I took off after them too even though I knew it was just a dream.

I realised that it was a dead-end alley the farther we went in and, even if Avistion could fly, it didn't mean that that Hedge Lynx's energy bullets won't tear his wings to shreds. Atleast I thought so till a static buzzing sound rippled through my ears.

A swirl of bright blue energy, same color as the Tesseract, suddenly spiralled at the end of the alley before opening into a portal. Avistion was already going way too fast to stop, rushing right through to who knows where. The Hedge Lynx's eyes widened for a sec before narrowing again as he picked up speed. He was just about ready to jump through when the portal suddenly closed, letting his skull crack against the brick wall before he slumped to the floor. I hit a skid before stopping and looking wide eyed at him.

"What the hell!?"

"Dad!?" I turned around when a younger boy's voice rang out. Another Hedge Lynx, much smaller and to my guess younger, ran right through me before coming to a stop and kneeling next to the elder one, "Dad? You okay?"

"...C- ...Cameo."

_(Dream Ends)_

**Wip**


End file.
